Duet
by Silver Miko
Summary: REVISED. Misao is an up and coming J-pop idol sensation who meets and clashes with rock guitarist Aoshi, who doesn't like pop singers at all. Both are thrown together by circumstance and macro-managing mangers .
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I had posted this up at years ago, and took it down due to, well, having my account suspended, but I've decided to repost it once again. I have yet to finish the last chapter, but it can finally get done and will be up soonish and sorry it took years because well..it's silly and was due to me not finding a translation to a particular song.

Sounds stupid, but it was the ONLY song that felt right to me.

Anyway. For some, have fun with re-reading this, for those who never read this before..enjoy!

(Note- I've edited out random useless Japanese that was originally in this story cause..it wasn't needed and the English greetings are fine.)

I've also made really slight revisions.

DUET

Chapter 1: Dreams

A light breeze blew throughout Tokyo on the perfect spring day. The Ginza shopping district was bustling with the usual business of the city as a petite young woman with long blue-black hair walked down the street, her braided hair covered by a red baseball cap.

She paused in front of a music store, looking at the television display that was playing a music video.

With a smile she quietly sung along and went on her way.

A muffled ringing made her pause in her step as she pulled out her cell phone.

"Hello? Ah! Yumi-san! I'm on my way now! I won't be late I swear!"

Hanging up the phone she placed it back in her pocket and walked a bit more quickly.

"Since when is running part of being a singer?" she quietly groaned, beginning to break into a run.

From her plain denim jeans and black tee-shirt, no one would guess that the girl in a hurry was Makimachi Misao, the newest J-pop idol.

She paused outside the doors of W-N Records, huffing for breath as she walked quickly into the building towards the elevators.

"Ah! Hold the elevator!!" she yelled a couple feet from the elevator as she noticed the doors about to shut. She flung herself into the elevator, holding out her hands to absorb the impact of the elevator wall.

With a relieved sigh she placed her hands on her knees, bending as she caught her breath.

"Thanks..." she said weakly, standing back up to look at the other person in the elevator.

Her mouth opened slightly at the tall form standing at the other end of the elevator. He was tall with an athletic build, black hair with bangs that fell sexily into his eyes. She couldn't see his eye color. He wore slightly baggy faded denim jeans that hung low and were belted with a black leather belt with a silver buckle that resembled something like a mix of a heart and a pentagram and a plain black tee-shirt with the words 'RAZORBLADE ROMANCE' written across the chest. She also noticed he had ear piercings.

She closed her mouth noticing he was staring at her.

'Well no wonder, Misao, you're pretty much drooling over this guy. He's probably just some errand guy.' she thought, breaking eye contact with him.

She couldn't help but attempt to sneak some side-glances. It wasn't everyday she found herself in the company of such a good-looking guy, or in such a small space no less.

The elevator reached the 10th floor, Misao's stop.

She quickly walked out of the elevator, but was unable to help but glance back at the man in the elevator. She gasped noticing he was smirking at her.

Shaking her head she walked off quickly.

Aoshi leaned back against the elevator wall, crossing his arms in amusement.

"Strange girl." he commented to himself, still smirking.

'She was probably some assistant or something,' his mind rationalized as he got off at the 15th floor.

"Yo Icicle! You were almost late!"

Wearing cut-up jeans and a white tee-shirt, Sagara Sanousuke grinned at his friend, a tooth pick in his mouth.

"Yes, but not quite." Aoshi murmured as he walked to stand next to Kenshin, a short man with long red hair wearing khaki pants and a red shirt.

"Are Saitoh or Hiko here yet?" Kenshin asked, scratching his nose.

"They're inside already. We were just waiting on Shinomori here." Sano murmured.

"Well I'm here now so lets get to business." Aoshi replied.

The three walked into the conference room where Saitoh and Hiko sat waiting.

"Ah, and here are the rest of the girls now. Have a seat." Hiko said gruffly as he kicked his feet up onto the table.

Kenshin looked around and blinked.

"Oro? Isn't Megumi-dono here yet?"

"She's in another meeting at the moment with W-N's newest little idol. That girl who just came out with that single 'Dearest'. Makimachi something or another." Hiko said.

"Oh? I thought we were supposed to meet. About promoting the band." Sanousuke said, leaning back in his chair.

Aoshi frowned, crossing his arms.

"I guess the newest pop gimmick is of higher priority. Saitoh, give me a cigarette." he murmured.

Saitoh reached into his shirt pocket to pull out his pack.

"I thought you quit two days ago."

"That was two days ago. I'll be back in five minutes." Aoshi said, standing up and excusing himself.

"What's up his ass?" Hiko asked, pulling out a small flask of sake.

"Icicle doesn't like pop singers. He thinks they're basically talent-less media whores." Sanousuke murmured.

"I'm sure Aoshi put it more mildly. He's just very passionate about music. I think he's getting a little restless." Kenshin explained.

"Maybe he just needs to get laid." Saitoh suggested, lighting up a cigarette. While Aoshi was polite enough to smoke outside, Saitoh honestly didn't care.

He was a drummer not a saint.

Kenshin was on keyboard, Sanousuke on bass and vocals, and Aoshi was guitar and lead vocals of their band.

They had been playing together for five years, the band starting with Aoshi, Kenshin, and Sano when they were in high school. Saitoh had joined them two years ago as drummer for the, at the time, nameless band.

Each member studied martial arts and swordsmanship, each preferring a different type of sword.

Kenshin's choice was the sakabatou, and his skill earned him the nickname 'Battousai'.

Sanosuke with his strength had favored the zanbatou, and had been known in the street fighting underworld as 'Zanza'.

Saitoh used kitana and had been nicknamed the Mibu Wolf for he favored attacked derived from the Shinsengumi's techniques.

And Aoshi, he used kodachi and with his demeanor was nicknamed 'Okashira', as well as Icicle by Sano.

The name just came to them one day sitting around Kenshin's garage and six beers laters.

Aoshi had suggested Razorblade, and Sanosuke added the Romance part.

Razorblade Romance.

Exactly half an hour after arriving, Misao stomped through the hallway of the 10th floor, biting her lip.

'Why do I EVEN bother coming to these meetings. It's just Yumi-san doing all the talking.' she thought, frowning.

Komagata Yumi, a curvaceous woman with dark mauve hair piled up into a bun and sharp mauve eyes, had been Misao's manager for a year now.

She was a sharp business woman, but Misao couldn't help but feel disgruntled. It was always Yumi doing more of the talking and it seemed sometimes that Misao had little control over her career. The meeting with Takani Megumi, CEO of W-N Records, was to discuss ways of promoting Misao.

She couldn't believe the bizarre things suggested.

"Special Guest Flight Attending? Where does she come up with this stuff?" Misao muttered as she stood alone in the elevator.

For as long as she could remember, Misao wanted to sing. Growing up with her adoptive grandfather she had waited tables in her teens at the Aoiya, the restaurant he owned in Kyoto. Even through doubtful times she still held onto to her dream. To sing.

In high school she spent a lot of time doing karaoke, and was always scribbling down lyrics in her notebooks.

Then one night a year and half ago at the Aoiya's open-mic night, she had been approached by Yumi and was eventually signed to W-N Records.

Megumi had liked what she heard.

"You've got a lot of potential, Misao-san. I'm looking forward to having you as an artist." she had said that day in her office.

Since then she had been training, writing, and recording songs and doing performances at small clubs here and there in Tokyo.

Days after her twentieth birthday she moved into a modest apartment in Tokyo, but still visited Kyoto as often as she could.

Now she was months away from her twenty-second birthday. It felt like so much had happened in such a short time. No matter what happened though, she vowed to stay the same Misao she was in Kyoto.

Standing outside the W-N building she slumped her shoulders. It was then she smelled it.

Cigarette smoke.

She looked to her right to see the man from the elevator sitting on the short stone wall, his back resting against the building.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have another cigarette would ya?" she asked.

She hadn't smoked since she was seventeen, but this last meeting had left her nerves in a jumble.

"No." he replied flatly.

"Ahhhhh...damn." she groaned, slapping a hand over her face. She looked at him from between her fingers.

'Yep, he's still fucking gorgeous.' she thought bemusedly.

Aoshi glanced at the girl from the elevator and stood up walking towards her.

He paused as he stood next to her and took the half smoked cigarette from him mouth and handed it to her.

"Knock yourself out. I have to get back inside." he said, his voice edged with irritation.

"Bad day at work?" she asked, before taking a drag of the cigarette.

"Bad day, bad week, bad month. Enjoy." he said simply and walked back inside.

Misao watched him go and sighed.

"What a lovely disposition." she murmured, and placed the cigarette in her mouth then smiled.

"Just like falling in love...our voices synchronizing...a kiss!" she sang softly. After all, the cigarette had just been on his lips.

She glanced at the doors leading into the lobby, a small smile forming.

'I wonder who that guy is. He looks so...cool. Like ice.'

Sliding long fingers over the thick acoustic guitar strings, Aoshi closed his eyes as notes and riffs translated from his mind into music. He sat in a worn black chair covered with a velveteen furnishing in the middle of his living room.

It was a small apartment, painted in blues and furnished in blues, whites, blacks, and violets. The vinyl blinds were half closed as the sun waned low in the sky.

He stopped strumming his guitar and leaned in head back, sighing.

He felt dissatisfied.

It had been that way lately for Aoshi, a dissatisfaction in his inability to finish songs lately. He just couldn't find the words, the notes...

A soft ringing interrupted his thoughts as he reached for his phone.

"Hello?"

"Aoshi, it's Kenshin. We're heading over to Akabeko for dinner, will you join us?"

"That's fine." Aoshi replied.

"Oh good. You can finally meet Kaoru-dono."

Aoshi didn't miss the excitement in Kenshin's voice. Kamiya Kaoru, who ran the Kamiya dojo, was the girl Kenshin had begun dating recently. After a rough break up with his last girlfriend Tomoe, it seemed Kenshin was finally moving on with his life.

"What time do you want to meet?" Aoshi asked, setting his guitar aside.

"An hour from now."

"Sure. I'll see you later." Aoshi murmured, and clicked the phone off.

Standing up, he walked into his bedroom and stripped off his tee-shirt, then his worn jeans and stood before his open closet clad only in a pair of black boxers.

He grabbed a pair of black jeans and a blue button down shirt headed for the bathroom for a quick shower.

Ten minutes later he emerged clad in his black jeans and blue shirt, hair wet. He decided not to blow dry it, since it was a warm night and it would dry on the walk to the Akabeko. Grabbing his housekey he headed out of his apartment and outside.

_"Itsuka eien no nemuri ni tsuku hi made...dou ka sono egao ga taema nake aru you ni..."_

Kaoru watched Misao from the bar with a grin. Misao jumped off the stage and walked over to Kaoru smiling.

She was still wearing jeans but had changed into a black tank top with a short sleeve light blue shirt over it and a blue baseball cap.

Kaoru shook her head and handed Misao a Coke.

"You know, Misao-chan, I think you're the first person to sing their own song on karaoke night." she commented.

"There's no one around, I figured it was safe and I should start practicing for when I start performing live."

"Yeah, whenever that manager of yours gets off her ass and starts getting you booked." Kaoru muttered, furrowing her brows.

She made it no point to hide how much she disliked Yumi, and repeatedly warned Misao to watch herself.

"I think this time I agree, but I got a lot more promoting to do. Anyway, enough business talk. So who is this guy of yours I'm finally getting to meet?" Misao asked, arching a black eyebrow.

Kaoru blushed.

"Actually, he's a musician. His name's Kenshin and he's so sweet." she beamed.

"What does he play?"

"Keyboards for this rock band. I'm not too sure. I told him my best friend is a singer so I always hear stuff about music so we don't talk about it as much."

Misao chuckled softly.

"See I keep telling you Kaoru-chan, maybe you should of learned an instrument instead of swordsmanship."

"No thank you! Ah! Here is now!!! Kenshin!" Kaoru yelled, waving.

Misao bowed and shook her head.

'She's so obvious.'

She looked at Kenshin noticing he was accompanied by two or three other men.

"Ah, Kaoru-dono, I brought the rest of the band with me since you said your best friend was going to be here too. "

"That's fine, I've been wanting to meet your friends anyway since you always talk about them." Kaoru said with a smile.

"Well, I should introduce them. This is Sagara Sanosuke..."

Sano winked at Kaoru and Misao.

"Hey ladies."

"Saitoh Hajime." Kenshin continued, and Saitoh simply raised a brow.

Kaoru and Misao glanced at each other with sweat drops.

"And that's Shinomori Aoshi." Kenshin finished, indicating the tall man standing behind Saitoh.

Kaoru nodded, and Misao tried to catch sight of Aoshi, but being only 5'1" she couldn't seem him clearly behind Saitoh.

"Nice to meet you all! I'm Kamiya Kaoru and this is my friend Misao." she said, making a note to not mention Misao's full name.

"Nice to meet you all." she said, debating on whether to get up on a bar stool to see the mysterious Aoshi but then decided not to. She'd get a good look at him soon anyway.

"Let's get a table." Kaoru suggested as they walked off to a table.

As everyone sat down, Misao finally got a good look at Aoshi when he sat.

"Hey, it's you, elevator guy. Still having a bad day, bad week, bad year?" she asked, sitting down next to him.

Aoshi glanced her over, recognizing her.

"Oh? The elevator girl. How was the smoke?" he asked, glancing down at the menu.

Misao's mouth opened and she lowered her head, sensing the imminent lecture.

"Misao-chan! Since when did you start smoking again!!! I thought you quit years ago! That's so bad for your voice!" Kaoru lectured.

"I know! I was really stressed okay, Mom?" Misao said huffing.

Sanosuke chuckled.

"So Kaoru-san, how did ya meet our Kenshin here?" he asked, giving Kenshin a pat on the back.

"We met at my dojo actually. I run the Kamiya dojo and he just showed up one day since he knows Yahiko, one of my pupils."

"Oh. The brat. My condolences." Saitoh murmured, lighting up a cigarette.

"Want one, Shinomori?" he asked.

"No. I quit." Aoshi murmured, not missing that Misao was discreetly glancing at him occasionally.

"For today I suppose. And you Weasel Girl?"

"W..Weasel ..Girl?" Misao said blankly, her face reddening.

"Oh crap." Kaoru groaned, slapping her hand to her forehead.

"Kaoru-dono?"

"You'll see." Kaoru muttered.

"Who the FUCK are you calling weasel girl you pasty asshole!!" she yelled, slamming her hands on the table and throwing one of her chopsticks at him.

He caught them and smirked.

"Saitoh, quite messing around." Aoshi said sternly, giving Saitoh an icy glare.

"Very well then."

Misao sat back down and crossed her arms.

"Please excuse Misao-chan, she can be..tempermental." Kaoru murmured slightly embarrassed.

She was just glad the Akabeko was used to Misao's random outburts.

"Shit, I haven't seen rage like that since someone stole Hiko-san's sake bottle last month." Sanosuke remarked.

"So Kaoru-san says you guys are a band? Rock right?" Misao asked, changing subjects as she calmed down.

"That's correct, Misao-dono. We've been playing since high school."

"Oh? How old are you Himura?" she asked, taking a sip of tea as the waitress had arrived and poured each person a cup.

"Thirty."

Misao spat out her tea in surprise.

"Are you kidding me?! You look so much younger!" she exclaimed, blinking.

"Erm, thanks?" Kenshin said, his cheeks reddening.

"How old are you, Misao? Like seventeen?" Sano asked.

Misao's eye twitched.

"I'm twenty-one, actually." she said flatly, staring down into her tea.

It was probably one of her biggest pet peeves, but she was always ALWAYS mistaken for being younger than she was. She had to often whip out her id to prove her age.

"What is it you do, Misao?" Aoshi asked out of the blue, changing the conversation.

Misao blinked, then gave an appreciative smile.

"I'm a singer actually." she answered.

"Really? I thought you were an assistant or something when I met you in the elevator."

"Yes, well I thought you were a disgruntled delivery boy. No offense, but you don't exactly display a sunny disposition." Misao murmured.

Aoshi's band mates and Kaoru looked at Misao like she grew another head.

Aoshi simply glared at her, then smirked slightly.

"I suppose I really am a brooding musician." he replied, then sipped his tea.

Misao blinked, then laughed softly.

"You're a guitarist, I bet. Vocals too, right? I could tell from your voice." she said.

"Yep, Icicle here is lead vocals, believe it or not." Sanosuke said, crackling his knuckles.

"What is it you sing, Misao-dono?" Kenshin asked.

"Honestly? 'Dearest'." she replied, adjusting her hat.

Kenshin, Sano, and Saitoh blinked.

Then Sanosuke grinned mischievously.

"I know who you are now! That Makimachi chick signed to W-N Records. I'll be damned, our manager Hiko was talking about how famous you're getting just this morning before our meeting with Megitsune."

Misao blinked.

"Megitsune? You mean Megumi-san? Isn't it like career suicide to insult the record label president?" she asked.

"Not when she called him Rooster head right back. They love to argue. It alleviates their sexual tension." Saitoh said, then proceeded to order some soba noodles.

"Shut up!" Sanosuke growled, trying to punch Saitoh, who just merely brushed his fist away.

"Really, Sagara it was a joke." Saitoh murmured with a smug grin.

"Whatever. Anyway, as I was saying, yes. You're getting quite a name for yourself Misao! Why, Aoshi's here is quite a fan of yours."

Aoshi's face darkened.

Was it _really_ illegal to murder? Yes, sadly.

Misao glanced at Sanosuke, then at Aoshi.

His featured were cold, sexy, but cold.

"Somehow, I doubt that." Misao said stiffly, taking her hat off and fixing her hair.

Aoshi made no reply.

"Um, well anyway. What's the name of your band?" Kaoru asked, trying to ease the tension.

"Razorblade Romance." Aoshi mumured.

"Oh so THAT was why it was written on your shirt." Misao commented.

"Oh? Staring at Icicle's chest? Guess you really do have some sort of appeal." Sano murmured, shooting Aoshi a grin.

With Saitoh seated between them, there was little Aoshi could do.

Suddenly Sanosuke lurched forward a little and a thud was heard from under the table.

"Ouch my shin!" Sano mumbled.

"Now now, let's eat." Kenshin said, sweat dropping.

This evening was progressing quite chaotically in his opinion.

Misao glanced at Aoshi for a moment, then glanced away. She wondered what he really thought of her singing, surprised by her thoughts.

It was quite rare for her to care, but something about him...she was dying to know.

The song 'Dearest' is by Hamasaki Ayumi.

'Razorblade Romance' comes from Finnish band H.I.M. It's the name of one of their albums that I own. Aoshi's belt buckle is a heartogram buckle, the heartogram being H.I.M.'s logo.


	2. Conflict Theory

Chapter 2: Conflict Theory

Bright lights obscured her vision for a moment as Misao pursed her lips and smiled politely, fidgeting in the plush chair.

"So tell me Misao-san, what are your favorite bands and singers?" the woman asked, a pen in her hand poised to write.

"Um, well I used to listen to a lot of Two-Mix and Utada Hikaru, and some X Japan in high school." Misao replied cheerfully, tapping her fingers against her knee.

It was morning, too early, she thought, resisting the urge to yawn.

Yumi had scheduled her to be interviewed by Sparkle Magazine, the magazine for young girls akin to Seventeen Magazine.

She really didn't want to do the interview. For one thing she never read Sparkle. Two, Yumi had told her specific answers to give instead of giving honest ones.

"Remember to list more pop influences, smile, be cute. Don't say too much." Yumi had said on the phone the day before.

It was one of the little things that bothered Misao. She felt like she was almost lying about herself, that she was being interpreted as someone she wasn't.

"And what is your favorite movie?" the interviewer asked.

"Um, that's hard to say. I like a lot of movies." Misao mumbled.

In truth her favorite movie was 'Army of Darkness', a campy American movie she always watched a lot when she was stressed. Yumi had said not to mention it, because it would look weird for a J-pop singer to like such a movie.

"And finally, what's next for Makimkachi Misao?"

Misao closed her eyes, and sighed.

"I'll just keep on singing cause it's what I love most and just hope everyone likes my music."

Aoshi's image danced through her mind suddenly, making her blink.

'Why the heck did I just think about him? Do I really care what that guy thinks. I don't even know him and after what I heard!' she thought, thinking back.

_Later on that night at the Akabeko that Kaoru and Misao met Kenshin's band mates for the first time, and some sake bottles later, everyone was chatting and getting along well._

_Everyone liked Kaoru, remarking Kenshin finally found a nice girl and they also liked Misao as well._

_Well maybe not in the case of Saitoh._

_Or Aoshi apparently._

_"See this is the thing, Misao-chan. Icicle here doesn't like pop too much. It's nothing personal, but he thinks you're all a bunch of media whores." Sanosuke said with a slight drunken grin, a fish bone between his teeth._

_Misao's eyes widened then narrowed._

_"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, glaring at Aoshi._

_He shot Sanosuke a dark look indicating an ass-kicking would occur later on before turning to face Misao._

_"Those weren't my words, but I suppose the meaning holds some truth. I don't care for people with little talent getting so far by looks and marketing." he murmured, his eyes hard and cold._

_"So you're saying I have no talent?"_

_"You're a gimmick." Aoshi replied, breaking his gaze from hers to sip his tea._

_Misao's fingers gripped the table so hard it began to crack. _

_"Why...you...arrogant jerk!" she yelled, moving her hand to slap him._

_He blocked easily._

_She tried again and again and each time he blocked._

_Finally she growled loudly and stood up._

_"You know what your problem is, Shinomori. You're just jealous that I'm more successful than you are! Kaoru-chan, everyone it was nice to meet you." she said, and with that left._

"Thank you for your time, Misao-san."

Misao blinked and smiled.

"No problem. I'll look forward to the issue." she murmured, then made her way out of the door and out of the Sparkle offices.

She looked down at the lemon yellow sundress she wore and grimaced. It wasn't that it was an unflattering shade, she just didn't like sun dresses. To her a dress was a formal outfit for special occasions. And those occasions she usually avoided like the plague.

Checking her thick black wrist watch she noted it was 11 am, too early to really think, too late to return to sleep. Glancing around the already busy street, she noticed a coffee shop and smiled.

"Hmm, I could go for a bagel." she murmured to herself and walked inside.

Aoshi wiped the sweat off his forehead as he chugged some water from the bottle nearby.

"Hey, Shinomori, what's up with you today? You're timing's off." Sanosuke murmured, setting his bass down gently.

Aoshi closed his eyes frowning.

"I have things on my mind." he murmured, setting his water down.

_'You're just jealous!' _

He couldn't seem to get Misao's words out of his mind. The tone, the meaning, and the hurt. Oh yes, the hurt hiding in her voice as she said those words.

He had hurt her feelings and her pride. He had never felt guilty in his opinions before, so why did it bother him now?

Because...

Because...

He thought of those sea foam blue eyes that held a whirlpool of emotion in them. Something he never thought he'd see in someone like her.

"Hey Icicle, check it out, it's your girlfriend." Saitoh murmured, tossing a magazine at Aoshi.

He caught it easily and flipped through it, stopping at the page with a picture of Misao. His eyes skimmed it, reading the interview. His brows furrowed at the words and he finally threw the magazine on the floor in disgust.

"Nothing but trash." he murmured, then tuned his guitar.

"Ready for more, Aoshi?" Kenshin asked, changing settings on his keyboard.

"Aa, 'Kokoro'." Aoshi murmured, picking up a guitar pick.

Sanosuke grinned as he strapped his bass back on.

"Making me sing now? I'll show you how's it really done!! Let's go!" he grinned as Kenshin began the keyboard introduction of "Kokoro no Hadake", one of Sano's songs.

Misao groaned as she looked at the magazine article. It was so...fake. Yumi had raved saying it was great, that it was going to help her popularity. Misao had forced a smile and simply nodded her head.

Was it always going to be like this? Little white lies and pretending to be Little Miss Perfect?

Frowning, she laid back onto the warm pavement and sighed. She had come up to the roof of the W-N Building for some peace and quiet while Yumi was scurrying around finding ways to promote Misao and annoying most of the 10th floor.

She looked up at the sky. It was so blue with only a couple of clouds and the sun shined brightly.

It reminded her of home. Kyoto. Peaceful times where she was still just Misao-chan and didn't have to pretend to like a certain band or be anything but herself.

But she chose this didn't she?

To be an idol.

To sing.

And Yumi was helping her right?

She never seemed to doubt her career this much before...before...

'You're a gimmick.'

"That damn Shinomori Aoshi!! Why the hell am I letting him get to me? Everything was perfectly fine before I met that arrogant bastard punk!! Why the heck am I letting his opinion matter. He's probably never even heard my songs and I've never heard him either. For all I know he probably sucks!!"

She recalled his voice, the smooth, velvet sound of it and felt her cheeks redden slightly.

Okay, with that voice his singing probably didn't suck, but still, who was he to judge her?!

"Gimmick my ass. Now I'm going to work extra hard and show that jerk I'm not a media whore!!"

Aoshi sneezed as he put his guitar into the case, snapping it shut. He was mad at himself.

He never if not rarely messed up on timing or anything, but today... He was off. It bothered him immensely. He wasn't usually given to bragging, but he took pride in his musical abilities and he was terribly displeased with himself at the moment.

It was all her fault, he rationalized.

Makimachi Misao, the gimmick idol.

"Good Lord, Shinomori, could you have sucked anymore today?" Hiko grumbled, standing against the wall of the rehearsal room with his arms crossed.

Aoshi simply glared at him.

"Well you brats, I hope you remember the record label party Friday. Megumi-san wants us to behave, especially you Sagara."

Sanosuke smirked.

"And here I thought she liked it when I was bad." he murmured.

Hiko simply cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Yes well let's not piss anyone off, right Shinomori?"

"Me?" Aoshi asked, surprised.

"Yes, apparently you pissed off Makimachi Misao. Actually I ran into that...woman that manages her. It seems Makimachi's been playing hide and seek with her manager all day. No one can figure out where she is at the moment in the building. I tell you, this is a first. I really want to meet this girl." Hiko murmured.

Sanosuke burst out laughing while Saitoh simply lit up a cigarette and shook his head.

"Ma ma, maybe we should help?" Kenshin suggested.

"Do as you like. It's none of my concern so I'll be on my way." Aoshi murmured, picking up his guitar case and leaving.

Hiko watched the door close and sighed.

"So what's up his ass today?" he asked.

"Probably what Misao-dono said to him. She accused him of being jealous of her since he insulted her. I can't say I blame her though. His opinions are quite..harsh sometimes." Kenshin murmured dropping his head slightly.

"Well if someone told me I was a talentless media whore I'd be cranky too." Sanosuke said, shrugging his white jacket on.

"Wouldn't it be interesting if those two ended up getting involved?" Saitoh mumbled, between cigarette drags.

"Oh, so Icicle can be in the doghouse all the time like you are with Tokio-san?" Sanosuke replied, shooting Saitoh a mocking grin.

He was countered with a cigarette being tossed at his face.

"Now now guys. Stop fighting!!" Kenshin murmured, but ended getting a wooden stool meant for Saitoh in the face.

"Orororororo..."

Megumi scratched her forehead softly as she shuffled the papers on her desk and set them aside. She glanced at her clock, noting it was almost one. Stifling a yawn she closed her eyes.

The new J-Rock band just finished rehearsals. Lead singer was off.

New J-pop singer has gone AWOL.

"Why can't anything ever go smoothly?" she murmured to herself and sighed, shaking her head.

A knock on her door startled her slightly.

"Come in." she called out, crackle her knuckles.

Sanosuke walked in, slamming the door behind him with a grin as he plopped down in the chair across her desk.

"Yo Megitsune, how's your day going?" he asked, taking a mint from the jar on her desk and popping it in his mouth.

Megumi furrowed her brows at him.

"What do you want Rooster Head? I'm not having a good day." she groaned, rubbing her neck.

She had four days before the record label party and enough paperwork to last her through the week.

And wayward artists.

"Awww, poor fox lady. Maybe I can help you unwind?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I highly doubt I'd be interesting in whatever you have to offer, Rooster." she muttered, as he ignored her and walked over to her, stopping behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders.

She tensed as she felt his warm breath tickle her neck as he whispered into her ear.

"Oh I know just what you need." he murmured.

"Sanosu.."

She closed her mouth when she felt the hands on her shoulder kneading the muscles.

She moaned softly as he rubbed her shoulders and neck.

"That does feel good." she murmured, closing her eyes.

Sanosuke laughed softly as he moved his hands to massage her upper back.

"I'm sure that sentiment could be used in a much more interesting situation, don't you think?"

Megumi growled playfully.

"Shut up and keep on massaging, Rooster."

"Yes ma'am." he replied swiftly.

There was no actual hatred between the two, nor even intense dislike. Theirs was a complex relation of bickering, that no one really understood. Except for Sanosuke and Megumi.

Neither would ever admit it, but they enjoyed the bickering like a caffeine addict enjoyed Coke.

Of all the artists signed by W-N Records, none spoke to Megumi as Sanosuke did. No one had the guts to insult the boss lady, but somehow Sagara Sanosuke got away with it every day.

"I heard you guys had a shaky rehearsal today." Megumi said, resting her arms on her desk and leaning forward slightly.

"Che, the Icicle was totally off. He's got a couple screws lose today, or maybe doesn't get screwed enough. I think Weasel actually got to him."

"Weasel?"

"Misao-chan. Saitoh came up with it at dinner the other night. It seems Misao-chan's best friends with Kenshin's girlfriend."

"I see. Funny, I wouldn't think Aoshi-san the type to get so easily offended. He seems so...cold."

"Yeah, well, I guess Weasel gets under his skin." Sanosuke said, smirking.

"Well they better resolve whatever the hell's going on. I can't have half-ass playing and missing-in-action singers." she groaned.

"Hmm, maybe she could just punch him and then they can kiss and make up. Oh, literally!"

Megumi glanced up at him with a smirk.

"You really are getting a kick out of this? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're getting off on this."

Sanosuke shrugged.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Care to help in that department?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.

She growled at him and huffed.

"Shut up. Keep massaging."

"Right."

As Aoshi climbed the stairs, he went over every mistake once more. Every missed note, every off moment. He just couldn't think straight. His mind was out of focus and it affected his playing.

It pissed him off.

Grasping and turning the door handle, he was momentarily blinded by sunlight and blinked.

As his vision restored he saw the current bane of his existed laying on the pavement of the roof.

She was barefoot with her socks and shoes next to her and she sore denim shorts and soft blue baby tee.

He groaned.

Just his luck.

Misao's eyes shot open and she glanced at the door to see Aoshi standing there, looking less than please to see her.

"Oh go away!" she yelled, standing up and brushing off her backside.

Aoshi crossed his arms as he watched her put her socks and shoes back on, an odd sense of mischief filling him.

"Make me." he said simply, walking away from the door towards her.

She narrowed her eyes at him and stuck her hands on her hips.

"What the hell, how old are you, four?"

"Twenty-five actually." he replied, standing right in front of her now, a small smirk on his face.

Half of Misao thought he looked quite attractive at the moment, the other half wanted nothing more than to punch the living daylights out of him.

"So then how about you act it."

"Hmm, maybe when you look your age." he countered, patting her on the head.

That was the last straw and if it was physically possible, steam would be shooting out of her ears.

She swung a fist at him, which he caught with ease. Trying again with her free hand she growled as he caught her other hand.

His smirk grew as he moved his face closer to hers.

"You'll have to do better than that." he murmured.

Misao glared at him and smiled.

And kicked hard.

Aoshi groaned as he released her, doubling over in pain as Misao had kicked him in a MOST sensitive area.

Misao brushed off her hands and walked towards the door.

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure you won't really be needing that particular body function anytime soon. Have a nice day." she murmured sweetly as she opened the door and then slammed it shut, running like a bat out of hell down the stairs.

Aoshi groaned as he stood back up, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. That he had not expected.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at the door.

He was normally the calm one, the intelligent one.

Now he was extremely pissed as he swore he heard her laughing from the street below.

His eyes became like hard chips of ice.

"This means war."


	3. Rival Night

Chapter 3: Rival Night

Saitoh merely glanced at him with a smirk, Kenshin quietly 'oro'-ed, Hiko chuckled to himself, but Sanosuke being Sano just had to comment.

"So Ice Boy, freezing your balls now to match your personality?" he asked with a grin.

Aoshi glared at him and groaned. Because of that girl he now had an ice pack resting on his groin to ease the pain from her viscous attack.

'That little brat! How dare she?! That was completely unwarranted and there's no way in hell she's getting away without punishment.' he thought, the corners of his mouth kicking up slight into a smirk as ways to punish the pop singer floated through his mind.

"Geez, you're not like...getting off from that now are you?" Sano asked, sweat dropping.

An ice pack thrown into his face was the reply.

"Fuck..ow..." Sano grumbled, rubbing his now sore nose.

"Now now, you two, no fighting. Aoshi, how did...um...how did you injure youself?" Kenshin asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Aoshi lowered his head, frowning.

"I don't want to talk about it. If you'll excuse me, I'll be going home." he murmured as he stood up wincing, and slowly made his way out of the room. As he walked towards the elevator he clenched his fist as he heard Sanosuke's laughter.

He practically punched the elevator button as the metal doors opened, and he entered the empty elevator.

As soon as the doors closed he chuckled silently. It was odd, he usually never was given to such immature thoughts, and yet it was amusing him to think of how to get back at Misao.

As the elevator stopped and the doors opened his smirk grew.

'Well speak of the little devil.'

Her eyes were closed as she stepped into the elevator with a sigh, slumping against the wall. She was wearing jeans and a simple white tee-shirt, something he didn't think most pop singers would wear. When she opened them she looked to her left and blinked, seeing Aoshi standing there smirking at her.

"Ah shit!" she muttered as she tried to exit the elevator quickly, but as the doors were closing Aoshi's arm moved out to stop her.

"You're not getting away that easy." he murmured, as he stood before her now, towering over her.

Misao backed against the doors, gulping. He was obviously still piss at her for the low-blow from the other day.

'Oh my God, he had it coming so why is he still mad! What's he going to do to me, oh I hope he's not like some twisted guy who's going to have his way with me as revenge like in those fanfics online.'

Aoshi placed one of his hands on the door on one of side of her head, leaning closer to her.

"NO TOUCHY!!" Misao blurted out, still lost in her thoughts of what he might do to her.

Aoshi's smirk grew and he laughed. He briefly wondered when he last laughed but shook the notion aside.

He traced one on his fingers up and down the side of her neck, noticing how she shivered at his touch.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, little girl. You're the last person I'd ever do THAT with." he murmured, stepping back away from her.

Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms.

"You asshole! Like I would want you to do that with me anyway!" she yelled, mimicking him at the 'do that with' part.

"Oh? If I was the last man left on the planet would you still stay that?" he asked, pretending to be serious, which wasn't hard since he was serious 98 of the time.

She growled, and he couldn't help but be amused by it.

"Of course! Men are more hornier than women anyway, so I wouldn't have a problem." she remarked, glancing away.

Aoshi arched an eyebrow at her.

"Oh really? I wasn't the one having dirty thoughts just now."

Misao sweat dropped.

"I wasn't.."

"Sure you weren't." he murmured, interrupting her.

Misao's mouth opened to make a reply, but she was cut short by the elevator doors sliding open causing her to fall back.

Landing on her butt with a thud, Misao groaned.

"Ow."

Aoshi chuckled, and walked past her shaking his head.

"It's been real fun, Makimachi. Have a good day. Oh and...I am going to get back at you." he murmured, then continued walking away.

Misao watched him walk away and felt her face redden.

With anger.

"Shinomori Aoshi! I HATE YOU!!" she yelled, then sweat dropped as she noticed the stares she was getting from people.

She picked herself off the ground blushing.

'Maybe that was a little too out loud.'

Cracking her knuckles and sighing, Megumi pressed the button of her intercom.

"Tsubame-san, can you please find and tell Hiko-san to come to my office immediately." she murmured, frowning.

"Yes Takani-san!" Tsubame said cheerfully.

Megumi swirled around in her desk chair, absent-mindedly playing with a strand of hair.

Tomorrow night was the label party and everything had been set, except one last reminder to Hiko to make sure his band behaved. Kenshin she had no worries about, Sanosuke had sworn he'd behave after she had yelled at him a plenty, no. It was Saitoh and Aoshi she was worried about oddly enough.

And they were the quiet ones of Razorblade Romance.

She was worried Saitoh would offend people or piss off Sano causing a fight, which happened quite a lot it appeared. As for Aoshi, she was worried about the little tiff he had been in with Misao.

The last thing she needed was a fight breaking out at an event where the press would be swarming like flies looking to eat up all the bullshit they could find.

In her five years as W-N president, she had managed a good success record of putting out some of the best artists, having always been able to see talent.

Her previous greatest success had been signing Mayonaka Aya, who she had seen singing at Tanabata four years earlier. Now Aya was one of the most famous idols in Japan. Now Megumi hoped her luck would strike again with both Misao and Razorblade Romance.

She furrowed her brows slightly.

She knew Misao had potential, but something was slightly off with her and she got the suspicion it was her boisterous manager Yumi. Megumi knew her type, haughty and fast-talking. Yumi seemed to have much control in Misao's career and sometimes Megumi worried the young singer was being taken advantage of.

But business was business and she couldn't exactly tell Misao to seek other management without clear and just cause.

"Takani-san, Hiko-san's here." Tsubame's voice suddenly rang out, snapping Megumi out of her thoughts.

"Ah, good. Send him in." she said, shifting to look more professional.

The door opened and Hiko sauntered in and sat down casually in the chair across from her.

"So boss lady, what's the deal? I was in the middle of an important meeting." Hiko said, crossing his arms.

"I hardly think a dish of sake counts as a meeting, Hiko-san. Now the reason I called you here is because I want to go over some details for tomorrow night. One, please please please stress to Saitoh to NOT insult anyone or piss off Rooster Head. Two: Please go easy on the liquor, we don't need you killing the open bar. Three: Normally he's not a problem but please try to keep Aoshi-san from saying anything to set off Misao. Four.."

"I get the point." Hiko gruffly replied, frowning.

The last thing he needed was Megumi lecturing him and killing his buzz.

"Look, I realize I'm sounding like a broken record, but the last thing I need is bad press. If the media ever knew what insanity goes on in this building half the time I'd need to hire more public relations people, and Soujiro-san isn't exactly a team player." Megumi murmured.

"That's what you get for hiring the grinning freak."

"Well, yes. But he does his job, albeit, he really must get over his pastry obsession. He's starting to creep out the sixth floor." she said, sweat dropping.

Hiko smirked and stood up.

"Is that all because I would greatly like to return to my work."

"Yes yes, go finish your bottle." Megumi said, waving a hand.

It was no secret that Hiko was obsessed with sake, always seeming to have either a jug, bottle, or flask by his side. What was even more interesting was that he never appeared to be drunk. Unless how he was normally was him being drunk and a sober Hiko was never seen.

She shook her head as pondering the notion further was making her head hurt.

"Oh come on Misao, don't you think he has a right to be mad?" Kaoru said, standing next to the dressing room door of the small boutique in the heart of Ginza Shopping District.

Misao in typical Misao fashion had put off buying a dress for the party until the last minute, taking Kaoru along with her for a second opinion.

"Are you out of your fricking mind?! Ever since I've met the guy he's been nothing but a jerk!" Misao yelled out from inside the dressing room, shrugging herself out of a particularly unflattering peach colored dress Kaoru had picked out. Looking at it with distaste, she tossed it onto the small white bench.

"Well it's just that Aoshi-san doesn't seem like the type to get hung up on stupid things."

"How the HELL is my behavior stupid?! He insulted me and acts all arrogant like he's the best thing to ever happen to music."

"Misao-chan, have you even heard him sing?" Kaoru asked curiously.

"Well...no. But even so, he probably hasn't even heard any my songs either!" Misao said, slipping into another dress.

Kaoru shook her head, an amused smile on her lips.

"Still, he is pretty good looking. It would be really funny if you two ended up dating or something." she mused.

"WHAT?! ARE YOU FRICKING INSANE?!"

Kaoru winced.

"Calm down, Misao-chan! No need to scare the nice, normal people in the store."

"Sorry but seriously! Okay so yeah he's hot, that's the first thing I thought when I first saw him, but his personality really sucks!"

"Hmmm, I don't know. I bet if you got to know him you guys would probably have a ton in common. Besides, from what I hear he's as passionate about music as you are. Maybe you could inspire him to be passionate in other areas?"

"Oh please, like I'd want to lose my virginity to Shinomori Aoshi." Misao mumbled.

Kaoru laughed softly at that, and backed away from the wall.

"Are you done in there yet? That has to be the last dress left."

"Yeah yeah, keep your pants on." Misao grumbled as she opened the dressing room door.

Kaoru gasped and grinned.

"That's it! That is THE dress!" she said excited.

Misao blinked and looked herself over.

"You think?"

"Think?! You'll knock them dead in that!! Makes me wish I bought it! Mine's just simple and yellow." Kaoru sighed.

Kenshin was bringing Kaoru as his date, which greatly relieved Misao as she was still nervous at those types of events where the press was watching every move you make. It was still an adjustment for her, going from simple waitress to singer. Handling the media was still a weak point for her, but she didn't like having Yumi do all the talking for her. It made her look a little flaky sometimes.

Kaoru and Misao headed to the registers and a couple minutes later exited the store.

Checking her watch, Kaoru grimaced.

"Shoot, I got to go. I'm supposed to be getting a call about a student soon. I'll take this with me since you're coming over my place tomorrow anyway."

Misao nodded, handing her dress bag to Kaoru.

"Any wrinkles and you suffer."

"Oh geez, threatening me with weasel wrath!" Kaoru sighed dramatically.

"Kaoru-chan!"

"Ok! See ya tomorrow!" Kaoru said running off.

Misao shook her head and put her sunglasses on. Since it was a warm day she had decided to not wear a hat. No one would probably recognize her anyway. Yumi had specifically asked her to not wear her hair in her usual braid when it came to business. Too tomboy-ish she had remarked.

She had to wear skirts and shirts she normally didn't wear to fit in with the typical fashion many other singers wore. She didn't mind sometimes, some of the clothes were actually really good looking, but she still preferred jeans and tee-shirts over everything else.

A loud engine revving got her attention and she turned to see a red Trans Am pull up beside her.

"Oi, Makimachi!!"

Misao leaned down slightly to see Sanosuke in the driver's seat with Saitoh in the passenger's seat.

"Holy crap, Rooster. They let you drive?"

Sanosuke arched an eyebrow at her.

"At least I can." he shot back.

"Ahou, stop the car already." Saitoh murmured, eliciting a scowl from Sanosuke.

"Tuck and roll asshole." Sano murmured as he put the car into park.

Saitoh shook his head and lit up a cigarette as he got out of the car and walked off without so much as a goodbye.

Misao glanced at him then back at Sanosuke.

"Is he PMSing?"

"Probably." Sanosuke said chuckling, "Hey hop in and let's go get some drinks or something! We musicians got to stick together."

Misao shrugged, knowing she didn't have much else to do.

"Sure, why not." she said, and hopped into the car.

It was then she heard the silent groan of dismay from the back seat.

Turning around she saw Aoshi sitting in the backseat, with his arms crossed.

"Oh geez.." she muttered, and turned back to face forward.

"Hey, don't make me the most mature person here! That's usually Icicle's job." Sanosuke said, as he began driving towards the Akabeko.

"Him? Mature? Hardly." Misao murmured, as she glanced at the radio and changed stations.

"I could say the same about you." Aoshi replied, but was ignored by Misao's sudden gasp.

"Oh, Mayonaka Aya! I haven't this song by her in a long time!" Misao said brightly, sining along with the song.

Aoshi watched Misao sing along with the radio and as if to mock him in some way she turned and sang to him too.

He thought he'd be annoyed, but rather was intrigued. She was singing along perfectly with Aya, word for word. What was interesting was her voice also matched Aya in tone and pitch.

"Pretty good mimic." Sanosuke said as he parked in the lot across from the Akabeko.

"Thanks. I guess it's something I always do aside from my normal singing voice." Misao admitted, as they got out of the car and walked towards the Akabeko. Sanosuke walked ahead of Aoshi and Misao, leaving them to trail behind.

Aoshi wasn't sure why he asked it, but the words has just slipped out.

"Did you find your own voice mimicking others?"

Misao's step faltered slightly at the question.

"When I was little I always used to sing along with the radio, but I didn't seem to find my own voice. One day, in junior high I just started to sing, thinking up random lyrics. I noticed I wasn't mimicking anyone, that it was my own voice. That's when I really began writing songs and working on my voice." she murmured.

She was surprised she had admitted that to Aoshi, given that he sent shivers down her spine whenever he was near, but something about the way he asked. It wasn't snide, or rude. It was honest, and he was the first person to ever ask her that.

"Don't...don't repeat what I just said, okay?" she murmured.

Aoshi's cool gaze met hers, and for the first time since meeting her she looked...vulnerable.

"Hey you two come on!! There's a bottle of sake with my name on it!" Sanosuke yelled.

Misao and Aoshi both groaned as they followed Sanosuke inside.

The ball room of the Ajisai Hime Hotel was packed as Kaoru shifted through the crowd frowning.

"Why did I tell Kenshin I'd meet him here?" she muttered to herself. Her hair was up in its usual ponytail secured with a yellow ribbon to match her soft yellow V neck dress that fell to her knees.

Scanning the room she saw a familiar red head and prayed silent thanks.

"Kenshin!!" she called out waving, causing him to turn.

"Kaoru-dono, there you are." he murmured with a gentle smile as she made her way over to him and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Kenshin was wearing khaki dress pants and a red dress shirt with a navy blue jacket.

"You look really good, Kenshin." Kaoru said blushing.

"So do you. You look really pretty." Kenshin replied.

Sanosuke and Aoshi watched Kenshin and Kaoru's shy interaction from a couple feet away, Sanosuke shaking his head.

"Che, at this rate Kenshin's never getting laid."

Aoshi raised an eyebrow.

"Since when is Himura's sex life your concern?"

"Since nothing is apparently going on in Rooster's." Megumi murmured, appearing by their side.

"Dammit, Kitsune-san, you are a sneaky one." Sanosuke said, glancing at her.

She was wearing a strapless dark red dress and her hair was up in a bun held in place with dark red chopsticks.

"What are you staring at?" Megumi asked, slightly irritated, and both Aoshi and Sano could tell she was starting to stress out.

"Nothing, just...you look pretty good tonight." Sanosuke said quietly, causing her eyes to widen slightly before she put on a smirk.

"Yeah well, you clean up somewhat nicely." she replied.

Sanosuke was dressed in tan pants, a black shirt, and white dress jacket. He looked something between casual and almost formal.

Aoshi decided to leave the two alone and wandered towards the refreshments table. He was dying for some tea anyway.

With Saitoh home taking care of his wife who had got the flu, Kenshin leaning towards 'oro' mode, and Sano creeping into his flirt/argue routine with Megumi, it was up to him and Hiko to deal with the press.

"Another glass and make it a double." Hiko's gruff voice called out, and Aoshi saw Hiko perched at the bar doing shots of something that was surprisingly not sake.

Aoshi frowned.

Correction, it was up to him to be the rational voice of the band. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, it was just that it meant being asked the same questions over and over. He wasn't much for talking, only when prompted to or when he had something important to say. He preferred to express himself in music.

He had already been asked the usual questions so far, what does he think of being number 7 on the charts, how does the band get along, what's next for Razorblade Romance? It was definite, he really disliked the press.

A soft laughter caught his attention, his blue eyes searching for the source of the sound. It was then he saw her.

She was wearing black dress that fell to just above her knees at an angle with a bodice that resembled black lace over shimmering indigo satin. Her hair was up in what appeared to be a braided twist with strands trailing down out of the twist.

Last night over drinks they had gone almost an hour before arguing, which ended with Misao storming out pissed off and Aoshi to contend with a drunken Sano.

Making his way towards her he noticed she was being interviewed by a couple of reporters, a small smirk graced his lips.

"Makimachi-san, when do you plan on having your next album out?" a female reporter asked.

"In a couple of months hopefully. I mean, 'From Kyoto With Love' is doing a lot better than I thought for my first album. I just hope the next album does well as soon as I get to writing. I'm going to be touring soon hopefully."

Misao glanced around and stiffened slightly as she noticed Aoshi walking towards her. He was wearing black pants, a dark violet button up dress shirt, and a black jacket. She gulped slightly.

It really wasn't fair how unbelievably good looking Shinomori Aoshi was. Especially when she was always pissed off at him.

He stopped by her side, a smirk on his face.

She wanted to scowl at him, but instead forced a small smile on her face.

"Ah, Aoshi-san, hello." she said rigidly.

"Hey." he responded.

"Ah, Shinomori Aoshi, what great timing for my next question. Rumors are flying that there's some rivalry between you and Misao-san. It's been said you don't like pop singers in general. Would you care to comment?"

Aoshi fought the urge to glare at the female reporter in a lime green dress, and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Before he could think it through like he usually did, he acted.

He slipping one of his arms around Misao's shoulder, and pulled her to him. Slamming his lips against hers, he kissed her. Misao gasped as she felt warm sensations coarse through her. Before she had a chance to respond, Aoshi pulled away, leaving her breathless.

"Does that answer the question?" he asked, then walked away leaving a flustered Misao to fend for herself.

"Misao-san, are you and Aoshi-san an item?"

"E..EH? HUH? No!!" Misao said blinking as reality set in. Her embarrassment quickly faded as she began to see red.

'Ho...Ho...HOW DARE HE!!' her mind screamed.

Squaring her shoulders, she excused herself from the reporters marching towards the balcony where Aoshi had retreated to.

Aoshi slumped back against the balcony wall in the shadows. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, wishing more than anything he hadn't seriously given up smoking. What hd he been thinking? Ever since he had met Misao all they had done was fight, and yet he kissed her.

To embarrass her, yes. But that reason was quickly forgotten the minute his lips touched hers. He had never done such a thing before, just randomly kissed a girl. When was the last time he even kissed someone? Years? And yet without rationally thinking about it he had kissed Makimachi Misao.

"Shi..no...mo...ri..."

Aoshi lifted his head at the obviously angry voice calling him and saw one extremely pissed Misao before him. Her cheeks were flushed, her fists were clenched, and her eyes were flashing.

Yep, Misao was royally pissed.

"What is it?" he asked, making sure to sound calm.

"Are you insane?! What the HELL do you think you were doing?!"

"I thought it was obvious. It was a way to stop the rumors of our 'rivalry'. It's bad press for both of us."

Misao blinked.

"Yes it is, but did you have to...have to.."

"Kiss you?"

"Yes."

"Why are you so upset? Was it your first kiss or something?" Aoshi asked. He knew she was twenty-one and had probably been kissed before but still...he would feel somewhat guilty if he had stolen her first kiss. Maybe.

"No it wasn't, but that's not the point! You can't just go around kissing people like that!" she yelled, crossing her arms.

Aoshi raised an eyebrow.

"And if I do? Are you jealous?" he asked.

Misao's angry expression changed into a confused one.

"Uh..I'm not jealous! I just don't like being kissed without permission!"

"I see. Well I actually don't go around kissing people randomly. I suppose next time the thought occurs to me, I'll ask for your permission. Though I doubt it with your lack of skill."

Her angered expression was back.

"What? Are you saying I'm a bad kisser?" she spluttered, stepping closer to him as she glared up at him.

He simply looked down at her and replied with a flat, "Aa."

Her eyebrows furrowed at his reply, and Misao knew this exchange was somewhat juvenile. She wasn't normally this childish, but something about Aoshi just drove her nuts.

"Is that so?" she asked, standing up straighter.

"Aa." he replied once more, lowering his face towards hers in a battle of glaring.

Without another word she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, initiating a kiss.

Aoshi was at first surprised by her bold action, but quickly forgot about it as he wrapped his arms around her waist, crushing her against him. He coaxed her lips apart, sliding his tongue gently into her mouth. Misao moaned, and moved her hands to his hair.

Her intentions of a simple get-back at Aoshi kiss were gone as she felt the warmth of his body against hers.

It wasn't until she felt something against her hip that she tensed and broke off the kiss, backing away from him.

They looked at each other with wide eyes, and Misao was blushing more. She brought a hand to her lips, and nervously nibbled on her thumbnail.

"Um..yeah. Bye!" she said, as she turned and walked quickly back inside, leaving a stunned Aoshi on the balcony. A stunned, aroused Aoshi.

He groaned, and sank to down a seated position against the balcony wall. Whatever the hell had just happened had surprised not only him, but her as well. Last night they had given each other a tongue lashing, tonight as well but in a different way all together.

While his thoughts were a mess, he realized one thing.

He definitely did NOT hate Makimachi Misao.


End file.
